The Squiggle

by Carole Lexa Schaefer

What magic can be found in a piece of string? The magic of a million incarnations--when the string is found by an imaginative little girl who spies it on the sidewalk. Slither, slish--it could be the dance of a scaly dragon. Or, push-a-pat--the top of the Great Wall of China. Unique illustrations, inspired by Asian brush-stroke paintings, transform the simple thread into fireworks, thunderclouds, and even the moon.

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Childrens, Storytime, School, Fiction, Asian Literature

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

When Carole Lexa Schaefer was growing up, she wanted to be both a poet and a journalist. In an unexpected way, she feels she achieved her ambition. While studying for a master's degree in early childhood education, she once put together a picture book made of photo essays. "The lyrical, every-word-counts genre captivated the poet and journalist in me," Carole Lexa Schaefer recalls--and she's been writing stories for children ever since. Her first book with Candlewick, THE COPPER TIN CUP, traces the origin of a family keepsake that's been handed down for generations. "It was inspired by my connections with my immigrant relatives through stories and songs--invisible heirlooms--to keep handing on," she says.

The longtime director of a Seattle preschool that she founded in 1980, Carole Lexa Schaefer often draws on her experience with young children when writing stories. In DOWN IN THE WOODS AT SLEEPYTIME, not one of the baby animals in the woods is ready to go to bed, until Grandma Owl finally finds a way to settle everyone down. The author says she was inspired "by all my friends at Little Friends Preschool who like to play just a little bit longer--even at sleepytime." Luckily, preschool teachers now have some help at nap time: DOWN IN THE WOODS AT SLEEPYTIME, says PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, is a book in which "author and artist make bedtime about as appealing as it gets."


With her next books, Carole Lexa Schaefer switches gears from sleepytime to partytime. FULL MOON BARNYARD DANCE is a rousing read-aloud that showcases farm animals dancing as they learn to appreciate their differences. ONE WHEEL WOBBLES, a zany counting book, follows one fun-loving family on Family Parade Day as they roll along on an ever-increasing number of wheels--Gramma on a motorcycle, Sister on a trike, and Grampa on some snazzy skates. Of ONE WHEEL WOBBLES, Carole Lexa Schaefer explains, "I wanted to create a counting book for children with which they could have a rollicking good time."


Carole Lexa Schaefer, who has a master's degree in early childhood education from the University of Washington, taught school for ten years in places as varied as Taiwan, Switzerland, and Micronesia, as well as Missouri and Washington. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, the author now lives in Seattle.

Reviews

[▫️Ron S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this on a list of books to read to young people, that are similar to Harold and the Purple Crayon. Since I teach an arts and literacy class to kids that are the target age (3-7) - this was a great find for me, especially because art lessons that involve line-types are tricky for this age.

Many preschool - 1st grade kids have trouble controlling a pencil, their manual dexterity is highly varied at this age (some families just don't prioritize this kind of digital manipulation), so teaching any kind of drawing at all brings a risk of frustration and bad feelings.

The line styles, and imaginative context, are *perfect* for these early learners. In fact, I'll be performing the story in classes - recognizing that this will be both more memorable, and easier for a covid-spaced classroom to appreciate than the alternative of holding up the picture book for them to see.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because it's so simple but held a lot of meaning at the same time. The little girl imagines all the complexities and possibilities that a squiggle can be made into - the Great Wall of China, food, and other items she experiences. I thought this was really clever and imaginative - kids can read it and imagine things from other shapes that they view in their daily life.

[Shakeema Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was simple and the illustrations were amazing. This book shows culture as well as a vivid imagination. We can use this book to teach children that you can make anything come to life with your imagination. This little girl took a string and brought it to life. This shows children they can get creative with just the smallest thing.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the imagination in this, especially brought out in the illustrations. There's no real story to the book, which makes me wonder if the preschool group would like it. I think the illustrations are too advanced for toddler, but will the preschoolers stay attentive? I suppose I can have it as a back-up fill-in.

7/1/10 Used this at the end of preschool as we had time. I told them it was all about imagination. And the illustrations really hooked them. They had to think hard to see how the little girl saw those things. And then the mention of fireworks right before 4th of July was fun.

6/21/17 Used as opener for S theme. Late comers will still able to connect and enjoy. They all enjoyed.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagination! The author uses her words just how they sound-she even puts them on the page that way! This can be used to show students why a author writes the way they do and why sounds are a big part of making a story interesting.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whimsical, Asian-inspired marker-and-gouache illustrations on brown French paper carry the story through a little girl's imaginations for a found piece of string. I enjoyed the pictures more than the text, but if you don't mind articulating onomatopoetic words, it's a fun read for a young child.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

"So, as always, off we go in a bunched-up, slow, tight, straight line."

She's last in line and no one sees what she sees on the sidewalk. With this ribbon and a big imagination, the little girl sees a dragon, a great wall, an acrobat and more. And she shares her excitement with her classmates.

[Seth Schleicher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Title: The Squiggle
Author/Illustrator: Carole Lexa Schaefer
Reading Level: 1.7

Book Level: I

Book Summary: A girl’s imagination soars when she discovers the endless possibilities of a string she finds on a walk.

Bookshelf Mentor Writing Traits:

Ideas: Children will use their imagination to create something using a piece of string. They’ll adhere the string to the piece of paper and write a sentence below about what their string is, or doing. Remind students that we all see something different in the same piece of string.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite shape, the squiggle, and Schaefer and Morgan team up to unleash the imagination of their young character as she interacts with it. The text font and display font are great choices for the book, and the art being rendered on “Oatmeal” Speckle-tone paper deepens the reading experience.

[Joanne Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way the author themed the incidents in this quiet followup to the original. The text is light and airy and still carries an additional layer. The star of course is the illustration, with its mix of water-color-like marker and bold rainbow gouache. a great sequel.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and lightweight.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute short story
Worth reading
Similar to the box or not a stick

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Childhood imagination abounds in this simple beautiful book!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl finds a piece of string and has an imaginitive play session with it. Preschool and up

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe use with scarves

[Kristen Garrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to remember this book because it teaches children about creativity and imagination while also showing them another culture. The illustrations in this book are also so amazing and unique.

[Vincent Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Squiggle" by Carole Lexa Schaefer is a story about a little girl and her imagination. More specifically, the story is about what the little girl created with a piece of string she found. The story begins with a little girl and her group of friends walking to the park. Along the way she spots a piece of string on sidewalk and playfully grabs it. Now the girl begins imagining all of the items the string can represent. Firstly, she pretends it is a big scaly dragon. Secondly, she imagines it is the top of The Great Wall of China. Other things the girl creatively transforms the string into are fireworks, a fish pond, and thunderclouds. At the end of the story the little girl catches back up with her class and shows them everything she has made. Her classmates are so impressed that they join in on the fun too.

After reading the book, my first impression of this story is that the little girl who is the main character is a role model to her peers. She is upbeat, positive, fun-loving, and creative. With this being said, the theme of this story is developed around this little girl. The number one theme of this story is to provoke children's imaginative thinking ability. "The Squiggle" does a wonderful job of showing this idea by displaying all of the items a little girl can create with a simple piece of string. From seeing the main character of this story make things like a dragon or a fish pond from a piece of string, children can apply this idea to their everyday life by creating unique objects out of the basic items that surround them. Continuing with this idea, there are many creative sound devices placed throughout the text to entertain young readers and to keep the creative theme going. Some of these examples include ka-boom, snap, tah-dah, and crack crickle hiss. With the combination of the fascinating illustrations and catchy sound devices, a child should be very entertained by this story and potentially be inspired to use this type of creative thinking during playtime at home or at school.

In conclusion, I believe young children would be most interested in the illustrations in this story. More specifically, I think children will like the pages where the main character turns the string into the dragon, The Great Wall of China, and the fireworks because these illustrations have the most captivating colors. For example, while the primary background color on the pages are tan, the illustrator uses other energetic colors such as bright blue, green, yellow, red, and orange when illustrating what the little girl thinks of in her imagination. On the other hand, the little girl’s outfit and her classmates are drawn in dull colors like black, brown, dull green, and dark blue so that they stand out less than the things in the little girl’s imagination. In my opinion, this was a unique idea to focus the reader’s attention on the idea of imagination and creativity. With this being said, an imagination is something people need all throughout life to solve problems and relieve stress. For these reasons, I still believe this is a good book for young children to read.

[Eileen Goedert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations by Pierr Morgan depict the play and creativity of a Chinese child. Carole Lexa Schaefer describes the last child in any school group line seeing his/her own thoughts come to life, in this case, through a piece of red string. The author shows off her master's in early childhood or maybe it is her experience with young children as she describes how the girl performs a child's work, play. Both writer and illustrator poetically portray a walk through Chinese cultural icons like those blue dishes and painted umbrellas. Because the little girl is so relatable, she is the perfect child's tour guide through China's cultural landmarks. I love this book because it is perfect for my student's age and comprehension level. It is a great starting point to talk about their own thoughts and imagination as well as a conversation starter for what other's may view in their imagination and why they may see things differently.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this one. A young girl's class is walking to the park when she sees a string on the sidewalk. Her imagination begins to work and all of a sudden we begin to see various Chinese items in the illustrations--a long wall, a dragon, sky trail of fireworks. The illustrations and text are basically simple, but WOW what a lovely book about imagination from a Chinese child's point of view. Very well done and its worth a look even though it is fifteen years old.

Five years later I am reading this title and WOW it continues to be a beautiful title. Today I was struck by the color and quality of the paper- 80 lb. 100% recycled “Oatmeal” Spectacle-tone paper from France. Beautiful color and feel.

[Christine Turner]

What magic can be found in a piece of string? The magic of a million incarnations--when the string is found by an imaginative little girl who spies it on the sidewalk!Slither, slish. It could be the dance of a scaly dragon.

Unique and beautiful illustrations, inspired by Asian brush-stroke paintings, transform the simple thread into fireworks, thunderclouds, and even the moon. At last the girl returns to show her waiting classmates her newfound treasure: a "squiggle of a line"! Lavish illustrations and simple text make this an engaging read-aloud, sure to charm any playful child.

Early Literacy -- Write

[Brant Rackley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book can help with creativity, regardless of age. For children, it shows that some of the most simple things they will see day to day can become just about anything in their imaginations. I found that reading this with my daughter made me take a second look at things. This book was refreshing to me. As most people get older they seem to let life "get in the way", me included. This book can really help in flipping that notion on it's ear, and allow you to embrace daily things in a new and refreshing light, as most children do.

[Caitlin Barclay]

This book is all about imagination! The author uses her words just how they sound-she even puts them on the page that way! This can be used to show students why a author writes the way they do and why sounds are a big part of making a story interesting. This can also kick off an art activity that has the students use their imagination to do something with their own piece of string. This book reminds me of another book called Beautiful Oops which illustrates (in 3-d!) what wonderful things can be done with the things we think are mess ups.

[Logan Spears]

The Squiggle was a great story about a young girl and her inagination. The book is a rather square layout but on some pages the illustrator spreads the picture arcross both the pages and on others only uses the one side. This gives the book a great balance and the illustrator does a great job matching the text with the appropriate style of picture. I liked that the little girl was an asian girl rather than the typical white family. This would be a good book for the begging reader because the text highly contrast the background and is located throughout the text.

[Marit]

When I was reading the book I started thinking about childrens incredible way to fantasize and their playful and wonderful imagination. Only a short trip with the class turns in to a fantasy land with dragons, fireworks, a moon and so such more. I like this book, I thought it was cute, and it made me think back to when I was young and about all the things we did when we went on trips with my school. We always played around and imagined that we were in different places and made up stories about things we found.

[Janet Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story that ties in culture to art!
The author does a great job on using words that mimick different sounds that the string makes and visually its intriguing because it does show a neat way of drawing. Great picture to use imagery on and show students how the author makes it so that you can imagine whats going on.

[Renae Williams]

This book is very unigue and interesting. At first i thought she was using chalk to make these pictures but then i realized she was using her imagination and created images using string. It would be cool to give students their own piece of string and see what kind of images their imaginations create.

[NS-Christine Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl with a big imagination goes for a walk with the rest of her class. Along the way she comes across a "squiggle". It becomes a dragon, a trail of fireworks, a cloud, and a moon. With such an imagination the possibilities are endless! Great for pre-school or Kindergarten students.

[Hannah Morrison]

Teaching imagination! I love that imagination is endorsed in this story rather than squashed like schools are so often accused of doing. The plot was so simple but intricate at the same time. I would love to use this to model the concept of creating "something from nothing" to my students.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful choice to foster creativity, practice writing and have fun with drawing. There are so many extension ideas you can use with this book that emphasizes writing, one of the 5 Every Child Ready to Read practices.